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October 12, 2010 at 11:00 AM
Literary Tattoos

Scroll down to see images related to the hour. And click over to see images that On Point fans have posted at Facebook. 

Tess Adamski's tattoo with the closing lines of "On the Road," by Jack Kerouac (from "The Word Made Flesh).

Tattoos were once for sailors and wayfarers — exotic souvenirs of adventure and romance. Now, they’re mainstream. Walk into any college gym – any gym, anywhere – and you know.  

But literary tattoos – now there’s the high frontier. And even it is becoming wildly populated. Rimbaud on the forearm. Kafka on the whole arm. Sylvia Plath across the chest. Kundera on the abdomen. A big back covered in Proust. Oh my. 

We take the full tour today of the world of literary tattoos to see what’s there, and why. 

-Tom Ashbrook 

Guests: 

Eva Talmadge and Justin Taylor, editors of “The Word Made Flesh: Literary Tattoos from Bookworms Worldwide.” 

Leigh Bush, has three literary tattoos featured in “The Word Made Flesh” – a quotation from 17th century Mexican writer Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz on her abdomen (see below), a quotation from a short story by Edgar Allen Poe on her wrist, and a short saying in the Berber language of Tifinagh on her arm. She’s a Ph.D .candidate in anthropology at Indiana University, and she writes about food for the “Earth Eats” blog. 

Carey Harrison, playwright, novelist, and professor of English at Brooklyn College. His tattoo — a complete essay in German by philosopher Theodor Adorno — takes up his entire back and is featured in “The Word Made Flesh.” 

Theresa Michalowski, has a tattoo (scroll down below to the bottom) of the “Serenity Prayer,” by Reinhold Niebuhr, on her leg and foot. 

Listen back to On Point’s hour on the Maori origins of tattoos.

And here’s more from “The Word Made Flesh” gallery: 

Kristina Grinovich with images from the stories of Franz Kafka (from "The Word Made Flesh").

Carey Harrison with an essay from Theodor Adorno (from "The Word Made Flesh").

Noted author Jonathan Lethem with an image from the Philip K. Dick novel "Ubik" (from "The Word Made Flesh").

Mandy Porto with an image inspired by the Harry Potter series (from "The Word Made Flesh").

Leigh Bush with a quotation from "La Repusta" by Sor Juana Inez de la Cruz (from "The Word Made Flesh").

Becky Quiroga with an image inspired by the children's book "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" by Eric Carle (from "The Word Made Flesh").

Bodie Shallenberger with words from "Slaughterhouse-Five" by Kurt Vonnegut (from "The Word Made Flesh").

Elizabeth Vegvary with words from T.S. Eliot's poem "Four Quartets" (from "The Word Made Flesh").

Erica Burton with words from Louise Bogan's "Night" (from "The Word Made Flesh").

Molly Sutton with words from Sharon Olds's poem "I Go Back to May 1937" (from "The Word Made Flesh").

Theresa Michalowski's tattoo of the Serenity Prayer (WBUR's Jesse Costa).

 
  • Daniel

    Very interesting topic. When I heard it announced this morning, I got to thinking about what might inspire someone to get a literary tattoo. Tattoos strike me as being counter-cultural, and I was wondering if a literary tattoo was in part a reaction against a perceived mainstream anti-intellectual culture. I would be very interested in hearing your guests’ thoughts, and I look forward to the program.

  • John

    That’s not writing, it’s tattooing.

  • Christoppher
  • carol

    I like temporary tattoos, and occasionally print out one or two to wear. My favorite?
    Montaigne’s “Only fools have made up their minds and are certain.”

  • ymc

    I love text as art; these are beautiful.

  • Pattie

    Did the tattoo–ees get copyright permission?

  • antonio

    worst segment ever. so pretentious and hipster trendy. “look at me, I read”

  • Therese

    During a discussion of Antigone in college, I drew a doodle while contemplating “for what truths am I willing to sacrifice everything”? I had the doodle tattooed on my wrist. 20 years later, it brings that question to mind each time I look at it.

  • Jo

    Tattoos are a cool idea….and these literary Tats might have people thinking that they are deep (well, maybe not the caterpiller (sp)!)….but they are PERMANENT!!! A cool t-shirt would be a better alternative for me!!!

  • Linda

    I had a wonderful experience regarding a literary tattoo recently. I went to Brown University Bookstore to order a large-print edition of the poems of Robert Frost for my 81-year-old mother. The young person at the Info desk couldn’t have been nicer; he examined several websites, but couldn’t locate a large print edition of Frost’s poems. I made a sarcastic remark, something like “That’s surprising, since most of his audience has to be over Sixty.” The young man showed me that, on his forearm, was the first two lines of Frost’s poems, “Nothing Gold Can Stay.” I was blown away by the coincidence. He told me he will write the remainder on his arms. It felt like a spiritual experience, and my Mom also was amazed.

  • Paul

    Of course if you do this early in life, you’re kind of locked into explaining it and defending it for the rest of your life.

    What happens 20 years later when you realize… Whoops! I dont think that way anymore!?

  • Kathryn

    Justification for tattoos and their permanence: reminders of your former self and encouragement to keep growing and moving in life. Some of these few comments are really obnoxious. Let people make potential mistakes. My focus in criticism would be the unjustifiable cost… thats hundreds of dollars lost that went to some extra vain pursuit while people die of hunger etc. etc. I’m all for stick&poke tattoos though.

  • Michael
  • Peter

    My 32-year-old son got his two tats a dozen years ago while he was in art school, telling his mom, “I’m getting them now while I’m still young and stupid”. Today he’s a successful computer artist with no additional tats.

  • Megan

    I think this segment is fascinating and also believe that words, poems, and quotes are beautiful art. I have a piece of Ghandi’s quote ‘be the change you wish to see in the world’ tatooed on my foot. I got it as a reminder to myself that it is within me that change must and can be made.

  • Kymberlee

    Art, spirituality, showmanship; it’s all there. I’ve known many people with many reasons to tattoo, and these are a testimony to what people will proclaim. Sometimes words speak to you in a way you want never to forget. I’d prefer a matted, framed print near my bathroom mirror, but truly, it takes all kinds and how fun! Better than skull and crossbones, or a swastika or some other defamation. These are artsy, interesting and conversation starters for sure.

  • Alexis

    Literary tattoos are an interesting twist on the subject. However, my sense is that the popularity of tattoos (along with body piercing) represents a culmination of a narcissist pop culture that is inherently nihilistic, looking for meaning through (destructive) self-expression. Small town America has transformed itself into a series of tattoo parlors, body piercing establishments and nail salons. Rather than celebrating the increasing popularity of tattoos, we ought to be seeking to understand the pervasive personal void that has led us to embrace this latest expression of a call for help.

  • Webb Nichols

    The Body as billboard. Does it suggest disassociative behavior or the spiritual concept that the body is just the temporary vehicle of the soul.

    Webb

  • Eric M. Jones

    Hey Tom,

    Old Joke:

    Looks like my tattoo says Pa, but when it gets excited it says “Paderewski’s Bar and Grill, Punxatawney Pennsylvania.

  • BHA

    To each his/her own I guess.
    Personally, if I wanted people to see what literary phrase I find inspiring, I’d have it put on a button.

  • Rob

    This is just silly and a waste of a persons body. Peope that require “inking” or “piercing” have an inability to fit into society and have a basic need to bolster their lacking self esteem. IMHO.

  • joel

    I am an “old person,” so take that into account. It seems to me that most tattoos and most of the tattooed represent an existentialist points of view — this particular NOW will always be with us — and it won’t; I’m my own freeze frame; and the epitome of narcissism. Isn’t the tattooed person crying for attention? Looka me!! When there’s nothing else to talk about, I’ll explain all about my tattoo . . . etc. Please, Tom, run this show again in 20 years and encourage today’s contributors to call in.

  • Bravejoe

    What this program brings into light for me is something that I have known for some time. In the US, People with tattoos have connotatively been perceived and people with little intellect, slackers and/or thugs. The level of intelligence brought out by the callers and guests of the show have successfully challenged this misperception. Maybe James Lipton’s wife will change her mind after hearing this program.

  • brian morrison

    this show has steadily declined over the past ten years. the host is a flavorless mash. this segment on literary tattooing was one shark jumped too many.

  • Bill Scheller

    When I was in college in the 60s, I ballpointed a few lines from Gray’s “Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard” on the the right knee of a pair of dungarees. That’s as far as I cared to go — no one ever wrote anything good enough for me to permanently disfigure myself with.

  • Boo

    I love to see both sides of the debate. Tattoos disfigure or they beautify. To each his own, but how can a phrase disfigure the body more than eating until you are twenty pounds overweight, or how could it be more vain than loading up your face with cosmetics to hide your blemishes or buying all Gap clothing? To some it is their own initiation, their own rite of passage in a society that grants not a freethinker his freedom and wants to keep him or her inside of the box. True, some get tattoos to say, “Look at me. I am not like you, and not part of your society.” They are simply stating what they believe. The only problem is tattoos are becoming so mainstream it is now the ones who don’t have a tattoo who seem rebellious, while those who do, seem to get in line.

  • Chap

    Some of these comments bring to mind Henry Ford’s quote when he said, “People can have a Model-T in whatever color they want, so long as it’s black”. Those of us that tattoo ourselves have chosen to embelish the vehicle in which we are traveling through this life with a variety of adornments. In recent times, those have come to include our personal creeds or mottos, which I personally find inspiring. So much so that I selected my favorite Shakespeare quote for my latest inking. The lines are some of the most famous words of advice from Polonius to his son Laertes in Hamlet, Act 3, Scene 1, and they are now my permanent reminder about how to live my life. For affect, I had the work done using old English words. Thanks for the show Tom.

  • Bekky

    I have Dorothy Parker’s “Midnight” on my left calf. I love that Dottie’s words will always be with me. Some of these tats are beautiful. I’m looking forward to this discussion.

  • Mary

    Not everyone who obtains a tattoo is nihilistic or lacks self esteem. Some of the best tattoo art I’ve seen is on the body of Hawaiian poet/singer/songwriter and kumu hula, Keali’i Reichel. His body art is a celebration of his Hawaiian heritage and a way to remember his ancestors. Sometimes, tattoos help a person express the richness of his or her culture and is an expression of cultural pride.

  • Susan

    “Real tatoos” are the wrinkles on our faces, the scars from skinned knees from youth, the scars from skinned knees from adulthood. I’m 32 years old and have many friends who have them. “I need attention” is the only thing I ever read when I see any tatoo, literary or otherwise. Rather than spend money on trying to get “fleeting” attention, why not 1) go see a psychologist and explore the reason for “needing” a tatoo, write a book about it and leave something the whole world can appreciate or 2) skip the pscyhologist, write a book about what you care about deeply, why you care about it deeply and leave that for all the world to appreciate for years to come.

  • Bekky

    I don’t understand why people are so against tattoos. It’s a form of expression and it’s not your body being modified, so I don’t see why people are so upset. I have 5 tattoos and they all represent a part of me. They’re all in an area of my body that may be covered up so I’m not screaming, “Look at me!” My tattoos are for my enjoyment, number one…and if anyone wants to see them or discuss their significance, I’m more than happy to do that. I’m not deranged or nihilistic or lacking self esteem, I just like tattoos. And no one “needs” a tattoo anymore than they “need” designer clothes or expensive makeup. It all comes down to personal choice, which is what freedom is…and literature is the best form of expression and freedom. Why not have pieces of linguistic art on my body that means something?

  • Zagg

    To the Susans,Antonios and Joels of life who see tattoos as a cry for help and/or other negative “issues”…wake up. What do you not understand about self expression? Should everyone fall out of the same mold? Why is ink on skin a cry for help? Is your designer clothing, Starbucks, iphone mentality also a cry for help? Or perhaps they too are a personal choice that just “seems” to be more acceptable in society, however sheep-like they may appear. There is nothing “fleeting” about a tattoo.
    This type of body art for a lot of people is very personal, well planned and a product of a great deal of thought and absolute commitment. This is not some drunken Betty Boop ink from a lost Vegas weekend.

  • John

    Zagg, why are you insulting my thoughtfully selected Betty Boop tattoo?

  • Tim

    Hmm I have 7 tattos… two are visible with a short sleeve shirt on. Each one is a reminder of a moment in life. They are a reminder of where I came from and where I am going spiritually and intellectually. For those that say tattos are for “little intellect, slackers and/or thugs”… Im a succesful career chemical compounder and I didn’t do them for you. I did it for me.

  • Jason

    Regardless of what anyone here has to say about tattoos, the beauty of it all is that we’re all entitled to our opinion and the ability to speak out loud about it. After reading several opinions above in the comments, much like anything else in day to day life… some I agree with, some I find incredibly closed minded and others I find overly judgmental and mildly offensive. I have (my literary tattoo) this for my own reasons that are very personal and private to me… yet the beauty of it is, is that anyone with the desire to ask to know more about it- generally in the end initiates a conversation about literature, our favorite authors, poets, etc. One thing I find in my life is that as people become more accustomed to their online identities and locations- we’re less attached to the lives happening in reality, in front of us. Tattoos, literary or not, are one of a million things that offer a gateway to conversation and communication. I for one am a fan of anything that falls within that realm. Anything that adds artistic thought or beauty to the world can never be a negative.

  • Kevin

    This had to be the worst segment I’ve ever heard on On Point. I looked at the clock and it was just 16 minutes into the show and it felt like it had gone on for an eternity. I actually felt bad for Tom Ashbrook having to excitedly move things along after about the 8th quotation from Moby Dick.

    I just think that tattoos and visual art just does not make for engrossing radio listening.

  • Howie

    Feh! Tattoos can also be just fun; no need to read too deeply. When she turned 18, my daughter tattooed “42″ on her thumb. How’s that for a literary reference? I suggested she get 101010 on the other, for a little numeric pun.

    Tattoos are today’s youthful rebellion. I can’t wait to see what the next generation does to fly their freak flags — with designer genetics!

  • Anne

    beautiful. Were I younger- I’d choose a line from Midnight’s Children. It seems a wonderful way to honor the writers.

  • Nakeisha

    I think these are beautiful. They aren’t just a way of expression, and they most certainly aren’t self-destructive. Tattoos have been around for many MANY centuries in many different cultures. They are a wonderful way to mark miles stones in ones life. I have thought about even getting a literary tattoo myself, but I like visual at art tattoos more so than literary. One of the 3 I have, I got in memory of my grandfather. Just because it’s not mainstream doesn’t mean it’s beautiful. The meaning behind it is what counts.

  • Brian Mullen

    I find that most people getting literary tattoos are doing so to express their love of a particular work that means something special to them. There is no explaining what it means to you, just telling people what it says or is from without trying to convey emotional attatchment or sentimentality. I’m sure there are people who get tattooed with quotes to give the impression that they are very deep and intellectual, but I find those people who aren’t commited enough to read a book and really care about what it says are not going to commit to geting it tattooed on them. And not that I think that most people get tattooed to say “look at me” to the world but I would argue that the opposite way, that they want people to leave them alone. Like how poisonous insects are usually brightly colored.

    And to the person who thinks that people should stop gerring tattooed to help feed the hungry, you can sell your radio and your computer to raise money to feed the hungry, stop telling other people what they have to do with their money/lives/body.

  • Jack R. Box

    A principal in my favorite local restaurant [Venti's, Salem, Ore.] has Michael Pollan’s admonition . . . Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants. . . . tattooed on the inside of his forearm. I think its great.

  • http://www.fjordtattoo.com Maria Tolo

    I did the Twilight arm thats on print in the Litterary Tattoos book. But looking on the page I didnt see mention of my name or my shops name at al: thats just disrespectful. I didnt put all that effort into the work just to be ignored when the tattoo is actually published in a book! I hope the authors remember: without the artist behind the tattoo: there would BE no tattoo. Other than that Im all for this new focus on tattoos linked with literature: its so cool and so many beautiful tattoos come out of it! Rock on!

  • http://lizybee.wordpress.com Sweetman

    Interesting program. I do agree those sporting their literary ink sport a heavy load of pretentiousness which is tough to take. Tom, it is your enthusiasm for your topics is what makes the show so enjoyable.
    I’ve been interested in tattoos–they are so permanent but run in fads/fashion, hence the growing tattoo removal treatment industry thanks to “tattoo regret”. As a nurse, I’ve had a chance to get a good look at tattoos of all ages and style and my informal survey is running about 75% regret for the ink message that was so compellng at the time. No matter how sharp and crisp and colorful a new tattoo is, skin ages, sags, bags and ink lines go blurry and fade over years.
    My burning, yearning message of the moment will be brandished on my headstone if I still feel as strongly about it: “Every saint has a past, and every sinner has a future.”
    — Oscar Wilde
    All that said, please feel free to enjoy my observation, especially if you’re thinking about drinking before inking!
    http://lizybee.wordpress.com/2010/03/08/monday-morning/

  • Stephanie

    Tom, thank you for a great show. It’s funny, I’ve always thought of getting a text tattoo, that’s the only kind I ever wanted. This is partly because I studied anthropology and got it in my head that some symbol could be taken out of context in another society and I had visions of myself in a jungle prison somewhere not being able to explain! My only problem was that the text I wanted seemed foolish, even when I first wanted it, I was embarrassed by my choice. Now, 20+ years later, it still floats around my head and thanks to this show, I might just go ahead and get it. It’s my body, after all. Other people’s opinions are just that, and it needn’t come in to play. It’s more of a mantra to the self rather than postulating to anyone else – at least that’s how I see it for myself.

  • Gordon C. Thomasson

    The book’s title, “The Word Made Flesh”, is both intentionally irreverent and offensive to how many, a billion real Christians world-wide? Anyone who claims to be a Christian and isn’t offended, simply isn’t! Anciently the Gnostics called that “taking the name at interest”.

    Regardless of what you believe, exploiting anyone else’s concept of the sacred,let alone one that is millennia-old, is at very least blasphemously bad taste, especially to make a buck … or a broadcast. This is equivalent to trendy secularists who purchase ancient statues of the Buddha for decoration of their bathroom.

    What next? Post-mortem brokers acquiring such tattoos from hospitals, morgues, prisons, and funeral parlors, then tanning and using them for actual bookbindings and lampshades? Oh, wait, the Nazis been there, done that! Nevertheless, such a re-invented skin-trade would be less offensive than the book’s title.

  • Doug Hein

    I’ve been surprised by so many negative comments, both regarding the show and people’s decisions to have tattoos (literary ones as well as the all the other kinds people choose). Tattoos are created by artists and literary tattoos celebrate both the artistry of their maker and the author’s writing. I find the examples published here and compelling and beautiful. I’ve wondered a lot about what the resurgence of tattooing means. “The Word Made Flesh” does not seem irreverant to me. It illuminates what’s happening. It’s about looking for meaning, celebrating the body, marking the milestones in one’s life and creating culture. As many people have said in previous comments, tattooing has been an important cultural expression for centuries. I find it hopeful that people are reaching for it now, whether or not it’s the right decision for me.

  • Zagg

    I can’t say I am surprised by the negative comments or the incredulous narrow minded attitudes reflected here. The title is not irreverent or offensive. A TV evangelist hawking religion for money….that’s offensive. What, “word” and “flesh” can’t be used ever again in a phrase, without it connotating Christianity?
    And to make a statement that accepts a horrifying Nazi tradition as less harmful that a few words on a page???? Truly, the meaning of Christianity has eluded this poster.

  • Joseph

    On my chest. A skeleton sitting on a rock in the pose of “The Thinker” (famous sculpture by Rodin) gazing at its reflection in a pool of water. Over is the caption “Contemplation of a Hunger Artist.” inspired by the Kafka work “A Hunger Artist.”

  • Christine

    Down the ribs on my left side I have ee cummings “O Sweet Spontaneous Spring” and on my upper left shoulder I have H.D.’s “Oread”.

  • Robert

    I have various poetry quotes covering my right inside forearm. 3 Octavio Paz, a Dickinson, a Yeats, a Theodore Roethke, and a T.S. Eliot. Think it sums up at about 140 words or so in relatively small letters to fit. Left inside forearm is a quote from Horace and the title of a Ernest Dowson poem: Vitae summa brevis spem nos vetat incohare longam.

    I’ll spare you the seperate meanings.

    It wasn’t an attention thing, or a cry for help thing or what all.

    I read. I love poetry and appreciate the power of words. I wanted some of that on myself. Thats not going to change in ten years or a hundred. So why just “get a t-shirt”? Seriously… show some commitment..

  • Tim

    I’m disappointed in the close minded view of the people here. You have no effect upon me and never will. I guess I over estimated the audience as open minded intellectuals. One day ignorence shall pass…………………….. Just because you believe its true doesnt mean its true. Too bad. Viva la difference.

  • Charles

    All of the discussion on the nihilism or narcissism of tattooing misses the point. Isn’t the urge to decorate our bodies as old as drawings on the side of a cave? I think the tattoos are, in most cases, beautiful. My own expressions symbolize the birth of my children and love of my wife. I’ll celebrate that and happily be decorated with it as long as i breathe…

  • Charles again…

    PS – the Kafka sleeve is phenomenal!! Well done!

  • Lloyd F Greenidge

    It reminds me of the old gambit “made flesh”. Come upstairs I want to show you my etchings.

  • Susan

    I do not think tatoos are a “cry for help” as many interpreted my comments above. My point is that everything perishes. We are all made to perish, that is our end. IF we want to make a mark that will last, there are better, more permanent methods that utilize create processes similiar if not the same as those used in the art of tatooing. I’m not against the tatoo, I just think it’s limited. Plus, like personalized license plates, I’ve never seen one I liked. I think they look tacky and I think skin makes a terrible canvas. Colors are distored then fade with time. The only reminder a tatoo would have for me is how fragile and human we are, and I don’t really want or need that reminder.

  • Carolyn

    I generally love On-Point and the in depth analysis you give to a topic … but this topic was inane. While I’m not offended by tattoos, I don’t consider them art. The value of art is that it is transferable. It lasts forever. Art is an investment in the future. A painting, a book, a song, even a movie can last for generations. Tattoos last until the person wearing them gets wrinkled, fat, or dead. They serve no purpose in our overly commercialized culture other than to waste time and money.

    If you need suggestions for topics, I hope you consider interviewing someone about epigenetics and how environmental factors affect our DNA.

  • Sue Schopf

    My son changed my mind about tattoos when he began choosing designs that reflected poems, ideas, symbols, and places that were especially meaningful to him. On one arm, he has William Blake’s gorgeous illustration known as “The Ancient of Days,” which a London tattoo artist gave him; on the other arm, an elaborate design from the Book of Kells, done by a Dublin artist. Because we love T.S. Eliot’s FOUR QUARTETS, he chose for his back the word “still point” from one of the most beautiful lines in “Burnt Norton,” representing a key idea in Zen Buddhism. He has symbols that convey concepts from Chinese and Japanese philosophy on other parts of his body. All of these express something about who he is and what matters to him. I loved your show and appreciated hearing about the works that have inspired others.

  • John

    This is the “tribal armband” of this decade.

    As a tattooer, I see folks getting quotes tattooed on themselves all the time and some of it probably is pesonally meaningful, but I’m sure a lot of it is just the dermal extension of their Myspace profile….”wanna know how I feel or what I think is cool?….read my ribs.

    Tattoos themselves serve an exhibitionistic purpose most times…but in the past have usually been of a more pictorial and thus slightly cryptic nature. Now folks don’t want you to miss the point or underestimate how “deep” they are so it actually has to be written out longhand.

    Pretentious?…

  • Carolyn

    The above comment by John the tattooer was incredibly honest, especially from a practitioner. I would be interested in an o-point episode that explored this generations need for affirmation and attention to the point of permanent body modification, whether tattooing, piercing, burning, or cutting.

    With cutting, there is a release of anxiety. Is this the reason for tattoos? Is there a correlation between getting a tattoo and feeling powerless in life?

  • Pratie

    My son has the Spy vs Spy from Mad Magazine on the inside of his forarms. One spy on each arm. I am often confused when I look at it because they are upside down. He says they are not upside down when he looks at them.

  • Jolanta Benal

    I’m astonished by the hostility and contempt some express about tattoos (and body modification generally — and I’ll bet many of the Deeply Offended have pierced ears). For pete’s sake, humans have been adorning ourselves one way and another since we’ve been human. If you don’t like tattoos and piercings, nobody’s forcing you to get one.

    On my right arm is a line from “Lord Jim” — “There is never time to say our last word — the last word of our love, of our desire, faith, remorse, submission, revolt.” I love summertime, when I’m sleeveless, because this tattoo has opened me to the most wonderful and moving conversations. There was the man who begged to differ and told me the story of his dying wife who, he believed, had said everything she needed to say. The teenage grocery stocker who asked permission to read it, read it twice, asked me what “remorse” means, and then said, “Oh. That’s *deep.*” The drugstore cashier who copied down the whole quote along with Conrad’s name.

    If this is about my insecurity and self-aggrandizement, so be it.

    People like the Chinese plum blossoms on my left arm, too.

  • Miranda

    The only tattoos I get are literary ones. I’m seventeen so I don’t want my tattoos to look disgusting as I get older and to always hold a deeper meaning.

  • Ashley

    I find that people who don’t have tattoo’s have absolutely no idea why people DO have tattoo’s. I have several myself, and they all have meaning for me. All of them are in places that can’t been seen unless I’m in a bathing suit (where you can only see one) or I specifically show you. (Unless you’re my husband, who see’s them all on a regular basis) I didn’t get my tattoo for you or anybody else. I got it for me. And even if 30 years down the road, that specific tattoo isn’t something I would get then, I’ll look back and remember where I’ve been in my life and what they meant to me when I did get them. I also have every intention of getting a literary tattoo myself, as soon as I find something that speaks to me!

  • Trina

    I got my tattoo recently, after 12 years of wanting one, and trying to design a perfect one, unique, and tasteful as well. I finally turned to and artist friend of mine, and asked her to design one. What she came up with is not only perfect and unique, but it speaks volumes about my personality and the things I love, and will continue to love. My tattoo is a very stylised image of a dragon delicately turning the pages of a book, surrounded by several other books. I believe when someone spends the time and effort to come up with something perfect, it does not indicate an inability to fit in, but rather a desire to stand out, and show what is important to them.

  • Brad
  • Cilla

    why are we getting links to people’s pages? Are we supposed to be interested in them for some reason?

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Murnaghan Family

Are lab grown blood vessels, hearts and lungs the answer to the nation’s organ donor shortage? We’ll look at the brave new science.

On Point Blog
On Point Blog
Questions on Civil Rights Champion Medgar Evers?
Wednesday, Jun 5, 2013

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the assassination of civil rights leader Medgar Evers. We’ll be talking about his life and legacy. What are your questions about Evers, about civil rights now?

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What’s Your Question For Mark Bittman?
Tuesday, Jun 4, 2013

We’ve got a terrific On Point Live event coming up this Thursday evening. Tom will be interviewing food author and columnist Mark Bittman at the Paramount Theater in Boston.

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Tick Tock: The Secrets To Your Relationship To Time
Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Claudia Hammond, author of “Time Warped: Unlocking The Mysteries Of Time Perception,” told us new memories make you feel like there’s more time, whereas routine makes it seem like the weeks and years zip by.

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